OAKLAND, Calif. _ It was as if the Coliseum hopped into a time machine that was set to the early 2000s. The stadium was packed, even Mount Davis, and the Oakland A's treated the raucous home crowd with a finish that sent them into a frenzy.
On a night where Mount Davis was re-opened to the public for the first time in 13 years, 56,310 fans packed the house to set the record for the largest crowd ever at the Coliseum, as well as the largest attendance for a MLB game this season, to watch Jonathan Lucroy walk it off for a 4-3 victory over the Giants in 11 innings Saturday night.
Matt Chapman and Chad Pinder got the two-out rally in the 11th started with back-to-back singles against Will Smith, setting up Lucroy's single to right field to drive home Chapman for the winning run.
A rare blown save by All-Star closer Blake Treinen sent what was looking like another automatic win into extras. Needing one more strike to record the final out of the game, Treinen surrendered a double down the right field line to Hunter Pence that scored Alen Hanson all the way from first base to tie the game.
Like they've done so often this season, the A's patience at the plate and ability to make a pitcher work paid off.
The Giants' Madison Bumgarner was cruising through four innings, but the A's made him throw 28 pitches in the fifth inning, including a pair of eight-pitch walks by Pinder and Marcus Semien. The left-hander ended up walking in two runs in the inning before getting pulled from the game.
Entering the night with a 0.64 ERA in four starts at the Coliseum this season, A's starter Trevor Cahill continued his impressive run at home by holding the Giants to just a run on two hits and three walks, striking out five over 5 2/3 innings of work.
